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rabbanā ʾinnanā samiʿnā munādiyan yunādī li-l-ʾīmāni ʾan ʾāminū bi-rabbikum fa-ʾāmannā rabbanā fa-ghfir lanā dhunūbanā wa-kaffir ʿannā sayyiʾātinā wa-tawaffanā maʿa l-ʾabrāri
Our Lord, we have indeed heard a summoner calling to faith, declaring, ‘‘Have faith in your Lord!’’ So we believed. Our Lord, forgive us our sins and absolve us of our misdeeds, and make us die with the pious.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah 'Ali-Imran, Verse 193
193. "Our Lord! Verily we have heard (the invitation of) a Crier calling to the faith, saying: 'Believe in your Lord!' So we did believe. 'Our Lord! forgive us therefore our sins, and cover of us our evil deeds, and make us die with the righteous'. "
Perhaps, the purpose of the Arabic term /Ŏunub/ 'sins', occurred in this verse, is 'the great sins', and the purpose of the term /sayyi'ah/ 'sin' is a lesser sin '; as in the following holy verse, /sayyi'at/ (lesser sins) has occurred in comparison with /kaba'ir/ (great sins):
"lf you shun the great sins which you are forbidden, We will do away with your small sins ..." 3
And, maybe, the purpose of the Quranic term /sayyi'at / is the effects of sins. While in this world the wise say:
there are some persons who are heedless to this invitation. Certainly on the Resurrection Day, they regretfully will say: ' We wish we would hearken to the words of Allah and had obeyed His command', as the Qur'an refers to them in Surah Al-'An'am, No.6, verse 31; and Surah Az-Zumar, No.39, verse 56.
Explanations
1. The wise are ready to accept the truth, and they, responding to the call of their innate disposition, answer the call of prophets, the invitation of the godly knowledgeable men, and the cry of martyrs.
2. Seeking forgiveness is the sign of wisdom.
3. Death with the righteous is a gift from Allah.
4. The far sighted intelligent ones wish the death with the righteous, and think of the goodness of destiny.
Footnotes